Category Archives: Arts, Culture & Entertainment

Oscars 2025: Payal Kapadia’s seat at the big table

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A lack of budget certainly didn’t stop the filmmaker. Her big win at Cannes, along with rave reviews, special screenings and strong distributors with festival know-how have given her an edge.

In the spring of 2022, S.S. Rajamouli’s historical action drama RRR was a huge hit in India and in the global Indian diaspora market when two American distributors floated the idea of releasing it once again — to reach an audience not usually drawn to Indian films.

With great word of mouth and reviews, the film pulled more American audiences. It was quite unlike anything Americans had seen. RRR ended up winning a few critics’ association awards and a Golden Globe for the song ‘Nattu Nattu’. One day before the final Oscars voting began, the distributors, Variance Films and Potentate Films, organised a sold-out screening in the 1,647-seat Ace Hotel Theatre in Los Angeles. A couple of weeks later, ‘Nattu Nattu’ won an Oscar for Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures.

Indian films rarely make such an impact in the U.S. during the awards seasons. I have been observing this for over four decades, first as a journalism student, then an entertainment writer and the festival director of the oldest Indian film festival in North America. Unless it is a work of the magnitude of Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi — a British-Indian co-production that won eight Oscars in 1983, beating Steven Spielberg’s most loved film E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial. Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire also won eight Oscars, but unlike Gandhi it was a British production with no Indian producer attached to it.

Grand Prix sets the ball rolling

Marketing, promotion, and celebrity endorsements are often a big part of the awards campaign. In the fall of 2001, British filmmaker Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields) called a few of his friends in Hollywood — all members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Joffé had seen Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Lagaan, which was India’s entry for the Best Foreign Language Film. He had liked the film — about a farmer during the British Raj who challenges its officers to a game of cricket to get tax exemption — and wanted to make sure his friends would attend the Academy’s screening.

But in all these years I had not seen an Indian film reach American shores with a stamp of having won an award at a major film festival — not until May 2024, when Payal Kapadia’s second feature All We Imagine as Light won the Grand Prix at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. It was the first Indian film in 30 years to play in the main competition section of the festival.

Suddenly, it seemed everyone was talking about All We Imagine as Light, a Malayalam language drama on three working women and the transformative power of friendship and sisterhood. IndieWire gave it an A rating; they are usually very conservative in their reviews. And senior critic Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a five-star rating, comparing it to Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar and Aranyer Din Ratri.

his followed screenings at the top three fall season festivals in North America: Telluride, Toronto and New York. There were more awards, including from several American critics’ associations. And even though India did not submit All We Imagine as Light for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, the buzz about it remained strong.

According to filmmaker and film preservationist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur the reason for the success of All We Imagine as Light is the new film language that Kapadia has developed. “She blends fiction with documentary style of filmmaking giving her narrative an almost hypnotic quality,” he says. “You can’t tell where the fiction begins and when it is pure documentary.” Mumbai-based Kapadia worked as an assistant with Dungarpur before she joined the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Her journey since has been one of resilience — overcoming wrongful charges of rioting at FTII (where her scholarship was suspended), to persisting with her vision even when her films never found a local audience. Until now.

Under a Golden spotlight

One of the advantages All We Imagine as Light could have had is its European producers. “I don’t know [if there’s a specific] benefit in having a producer from a different part of the world… but if you are keen to premiere at a film festival in Europe, then European producers know the process,” says Kapadia. “Now, many Indian producers are learning about it, along with the American festival system. Look at Reema Das. She is her own producer and has always premiered her movies at top-level festivals. Her films are very local and yet the themes resonate across the world.”

Late last year, several critics and major publications — from The New York Times to Sight and Sound magazine ranked All We Imagine as Light as the number one film of the year. In its recent Instagram post, Sight and Sound described the film as “a delicate, dreamlike tale of loneliness and fellowship” and added that the film recalled works of Ray and Wong Kar-wai. One day after Christmas, Variety named Kapadia as one of the international breakouts of the year.

So, no one seemed surprised when All We Imagine as Light received two Golden Globes nominations, including one in the Best Director category. Variety wrote this reflected “Kapadia’s growing influence in world cinema”. This was the first such nomination for an Indian filmmaker for a film made in India. In 1999, Shekhar Kapur received a Best Director nomination for Elizabeth, but that was a British production.

All We Imagine as Light also received a Golden Globes nomination for Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences only accepts one international film submitted by each individual country, but the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — the body that awards the Golden Globes — accepts submissions by producers of foreign language films. And so the filmcould compete.

For a while now, commentators have said that the Golden Globes have lost their significance. But one cannot deny that Academy members and studios seriously follow the Globes — the nominations and the awards. (And since any film that runs for a week in any of the U.S.’s six metropolitan areas is eligible to be nominated for the Oscars, All We Imagine as Light is a contender.)

Kapadia attended the Globes dressed in a black silk outfit designed by Payal Khandwala and she wore earrings gifted to her by her mother, the painter Nalini Malani. She was accompanied by her two French producers, Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff, and cinematographer Ranabir Das. “It was such a huge honour to be nominated,” Kapadia shares the day after the Golden Globes ceremony. “The nominations really put our film back in people’s attention. And of course, talking to stars you have admired is always a thrill. I met Jodie Foster as well as director Walter Salles who had both seen our movie, and they liked it!”

Kapadia’s chance of winning a Globe was never definite, given the competitive field she was in, but her name has already registered in the minds of many Academy members. Meanwhile, last week, the film was longlisted in three categories for the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA), including best director.

Celebrity support for Indian films 

The torch of All We Imagine as Light has been kept burning by the film’s two distributors, Janus Films and Sideshow. The former had two other foreign language films nominated for the Golden Globes: Vermiglio (Italy), a drama set during World War II, and Flow (Lithuania), a fantasy adventure about a solitary cat’s survival. Flow won the Globe for the Best Motion Picture, Animated.

“We are lucky to work with Janus and Sideshow who really take care of the films they distribute,” Kapadia says. “They understand this system well and make sure that the campaign effort is streamlined and specific. We don’t have a major studio funding backing this effort so it’s sheer hard work from everyone involved.” A stark contrast to money-backed films such as RRR or even a Gandhi, which had the support of a big studio for its Oscar campaign.

But in a crowded field with Hollywood and foreign language films competing for the short attention span of Academy members, celebrity support for films can be really helpful. Late last year before the Oscar shortlists were announced, Mexican filmmaker Alfonso Cuarón hosted a screening of Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies in London. British film director of Indian origin Gurinder Chadha, who is a member of the Academy along with Cuarón, also attended the screening.

In mid-November, Indian-American filmmaker Mira Nair moderated a post-screening Q&A of All We Imagine as Light with Kapadia at NeueHouse, a small theatre in Manhattan with just 86 seats. The screening was organised by Janus Films and Sideshow to generate interest before the limited release of the film on November 15 in New York City. But it was also intended to start the buzz among Academy members based in the city. The NeueHouse screening was attended by a few Indian-American Academy members, including publicist Gitesh Pandya and producer Shrihari Sathe. Nair is also an influential member of the Academy.

The same evening, Netflix hosted a screening of Laapataa Ladies in New York City. At the time, the film was in consideration for the Best International Feature Film award. Kiran Rao and Aamir Khan were present as was Nair, who did a Q&A with the director and producer. Nair then rushed to moderate the NeueHouse Q&A of All We Imagine as Light. She had seen Kapadia’s film earlier.

Is another nomination likely?

These special screenings by well-known filmmakers are held throughout the awards seasons. In December, Kapadia was interviewed by director Shuchi Talati (Girls Will Be Girls) after the film’s screening at Film Forum, a prime art-house theatre in New York City. Again, the Q&A was meant to create a buzz about All We Imagine as Light as the Academy members were getting set to watch the films in consideration. The film is now in its eighth week of theatrical run at Film Forum.

And earlier at the end of October, Kapadia was in Japan for the Tokyo International Film Festival when she had an in-depth conversation with the Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda. (Kore-eda received a Palm d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018 for Shoplifters. The next year Shoplifters received an Academy Award nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film.)

During the conversation, Kore-eda asked Kapadia her thoughts on All We Imagine as Light not being sent to the Academy Awards. Her response was measured and diplomatic. “I think with this film, it got a lot already. I’m very satisfied with how the journey of the film has gone. And it’s been really more than I expected. So everything that comes its way, it’s like a bonus for me.”

All We Imagine as Light has had a huge success in finding distribution deals in 85 countries. And according to Zico Maitra, one of the film’s producers, it has already opened in 43 countries, including just recently in the U.K., Germany and Spain. After a limited release in India, the film is also streaming on Disney+Hotstar. Kapadia wanted her film to be seen by people across the country. Hence, the screenings took place in major cities, but also those that could be described as Tier-II cities: Guwahati, Chandigarh and Kanpur. The OTT release is a part of the extra bonus Kapadia mentioned.

Voting for the Academy Awards is on from January 8 to 12, and the nominations will be announced on January 19. While no one can predict whether All We Imagine as Light will receive any nominations, this much is clear: Kapadia and her film already have a seat at the main dinner table. She will be there even after the award season has ended.

The writer is a film festival programmer and author.

content/source: thehindu.com (headline edited)

‘First ever’ glass bridge opened in India’s southernmost tip | Key details

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Glass bridge connecting Vivekananda memorial, Thiruvalluvar statue inaugurated in Tamil Nadu.

Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin on Monday inaugurated a glass bridge connecting the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the 133-feet Thiruvalluvar statue in the Kanyakumari district.

The structure claimed to be the first such one in India, was inaugurated to mark the silver jubilee of the unveiling of the renowned Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar’s statue by late chief minister M Karunanidhi.

The glass bridge connecting the two monuments offers visitors a breathtaking view of the sea. “It provides a thrilling experience of walking above the sea,” a tourist official told news agency PTI.

Key details about Kanyakumari glass bridge

The glass bridge is 77-meter-long, 10-metre wide and 133-feet high.

According to the state government, the bowstring arch on the glass bridge has been designed to withstand the saline breeze from the sea and high humidity.

Tourists who used to travel between the two historical monuments on a ferry can now walk over the glass bridge and reach the other end quickly.

Politics over glass bridge

After the inauguration, Stalin walked over the bridge accompanied by deputy chief minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, state ministers, MP Kanimozhi, and senior officials. A laser light show was held at the Thiruvalluvar statue.

Stalin hailed the legacy of the Tamil poet and announced that last week of every December will be celebrated as “Thrirukkural week” to spread the poet’s teaching in his renowned work “Thirukkural”.

Meanwhile, opposition AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami said the project was sanctioned and granted environmental clearance during his tenure as the chief minister.

“Chief Minister M K Stalin who inaugurated the glass bridge in Kanyakumari on Monday evening did not bring the project. It was brought during the AIADMK regime when I was the Chief Minister,” Palaniswami told reporters here.

“Since Kanyakumari is a very popular tourist destination, I requested (union shipping minister) that a bridge be built to link Thiruvalluvar statue with the Vivekananda Rock Memorial,” he added.

(With PTI inputs)

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

How Haryana’s Carterpuri village was named after former US President Jimmy Carter

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Jimmy Carter, the third US president to visit India, had a personal link through his mother, Lillian, who served as a Peace Corps health volunteer in the 1960s.

Jimmy Carter, the 39th US president and third American leader to visit India, after whom a village in Haryana was named Carterpuri has passed away at 100 in Georgia.

Carter, the longest-lived president in US history, passed away on Sunday at the age of 100.

According to the Carter Centre, on January 3, 1978, Carter and then First Lady Rosalynn Carter travelled to the village of Daulatpur Nasirabad, an hour southwest of New Delhi.

He was the third American president to visit India and the only one with a personal connection to the country – his mother, Lillian, had worked there as a health volunteer with the Peace Corps during the late 1960s.

“The visit was so successful that shortly after, village residents renamed the area ‘Carterpuri’ and remained in contact with the White House for the rest of President Carter’s tenure. The trip made a lasting impression: Festivities abounded in the village when President Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002, and January 3 remains a holiday in Carterpuri,” the Carter Centre said.

“In fact, since the Carter administration, the US and India have worked closely on energy, humanitarian aid, technology, space cooperation, maritime security, disaster relief, counterterrorism, and more. In the mid-2000s, the United States and India struck a landmark agreement to work toward full civil nuclear cooperation, and bilateral trade has since skyrocketed,” the centre said.

President Carter understood that shared democratic principles formed a strong foundation for a long, fruitful relationship between the US and India. It is, therefore, no surprise that the two nations grew steadily closer in the decades after he left office, it said.

“India’s difficulties, which we often experience ourselves and which are typical of the problems faced in the developing world, remind us of the tasks that lie ahead. Not the Authoritarian Way,” Carter had said on January 2, 1978.

A day later at the signing of the Delhi declaration along with then Prime Minister Morarji Desai, Carter said at the heart of the friendship between India and the US is their determination that the moral values of the people must also guide the actions of the states, the governments.

With PTI inputs

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal,Gujarat crucial to make India leading maritime nation: Sonowal

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Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Saturday said the ₹4,300-crore National Maritime Heritage Complex being developed at Lothal in Gujarat is a project of national importance and will be a crucial step towards making India a leading maritime nation.

Sonowal, who is Ports, Shipping and Waterways Minister, reviewed the progress of the NMHC project along with Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.

Secretary of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, T K Ramachandran, said, “The phase 1-A of the project, coming up with an estimated cost of ₹1,200 crore, is expected to get over by August, 2025, with 65 per cent of its construction completed.” The entire project, being executed in two phases, is expected to be completed by 2028, he said.

Work on phase 1-A of the project, comprising six galleries, jetty walkway, Lothal town, etc, started in March 2022, before the Union Cabinet approved it in October 2024.

Apart from 14 galleries in phase 1 , phase 2 will have conceptualisation of Lothal city as it existed in ancient times, surrounded by the pavilions showcasing the maritime heritage of coastal states in their individual pavillions, he said. “We are planning for the inauguration of the Phase 1-A of the project by August-September 2025, and the aim is to complete the entire project by 2028. We have completed 65 per cent of the work under phase 1-A,” he said.

The Union ministers toured key project landmarks, including INS Nishank, the Lothal Jetty Walkway and the Museum Block, and interacted with workers at the site to know their challenges and work progress.

Sonowal expressed satisfaction with the significant milestones achieved in civil infrastructure development, noting that the project is advancing on schedule, an official release said.

He said the government is committed to ensuring that the NMHC is completed on time and is of highest standards.

“This project will boost tourism, provide a platform for maritime education, and foster collaboration between India’s maritime community and the global industry. It is a crucial step toward making India a leading maritime nation,” the release quoted him as saying. “The NMHC is a project of national importance, offering tremendous opportunities for growth and learning in the maritime sector.

The visionary leadership of PM Narendra Modi ji has ensured that India remains on course towards all round development of the country and that the people reap the fruit of India’s developmental story,” Sonowal said.

The project will boost tourism, provide a platform for maritime education, and foster greater collaboration between India’s maritime community and the global maritime industry, he added.

The release said this world-class facility will showcase India’s maritime heritage from ancient to modern times, adopting an innovative “edutainment” approach using cutting-edge technology to spread awareness and attract international tourists. Lothal, located some 80 km away from Ahmedabad, was a prominent city of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation dating back to 2400 BCE.

It holds historical significance for its advanced dockyard, thriving trade and renowned bead-making industry. Artefacts such as seals, tools, and pottery unearthed by archaeologists reveal a rich cultural and economic history, making it a key Harappan site.

Designed as a world-class destination under the Sagarmala Programme of the Union government, the NMHC aims to showcase India’s naval achievements and cultural connections through interactive exhibits, state-of-the-art displays and engaging storytelling.

This initiative is poised to not only preserve India’s maritime heritage but also to attract global tourists and foster a deeper appreciation of its historical significance, the release said. “The idea is to generate a movement regarding knowledge about our heritage.

We are also looking at tourism with the development of several tourist circuits, and nearby heritage sites, oceanic, cruise and coastal tourism will be connected to this.

We hope that in the years to come, this will be one of the biggest complexes in the world,” Ramachandran said.

The ministry has also planned collaboration with 25 countries and signed MoUs with countries such as Portugal, UAE and Vietnam for the project, officials said.

Phase 1-B of the project will have eight galleries, a lighthouse museum, a ‘Bagicha complex’, and a 5D dome theatre. Museutel , eco resort, coastal state pavilion, Lothal city, theme-based parks and maritime research institute and hotel are highlights of phase 2 project.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.

source/content: hindustantimes.com (headline edited)

55th IFFI, Goa: ‘Stories are more powerful than any single technology’

The ‘Film Festival Directors’ Round Table’ was held Thursday, moderated by Shekhar Kapur, the festival director of 55th IFFI, Goa.

EVEN though the world of cinema is fast evolving, boosted by technological advances, there is one thing that remains constant: the collective experience of watching a movie on a large screen.

The ‘Film Festival Directors’ Round Table’ was held Thursday, moderated by Shekhar Kapur, the festival director of 55th IFFI, Goa. The panel featured CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival Cameron Bailey, artistic director of the Locarno Film Festival Giona Nazzaro, and Festival producer of Edinburgh International Film Festival Emma Boa. They believe that even though “technology will keep changing, the powerful thing about cinema is that it’s watched together”.  Expressing his concerns over people getting hooked to short videos and reels while “around 10% of the world is watching cinema as we know it”, Kapur wondered if they had the responsibility to protect cinema.

Bailey believed that “stories are more powerful than any single technology”. He said: “Technology will keep changing but the powerful thing about cinema is that it’s watched together. That amplifies the emotion, the experience and what viewers take back with them. But we can’t hide what technology has done to screen storytelling. That is more powerful today since people are watching on their phone or laptop. But the collective experience should be protected.”

For Nazzaro, “cinema is a technology-oriented art form”. The problem with the technology, he believed, was that it can hijack what the audience needs. “Nowadays, we don’t say films anymore, we say content. Films are not content. They are art. They are still people who are yet to make their first short film or feature. They need to defend the idea that what they are going to say (through their movies) could be art.”

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: BEACON of INDIA INC. : Ratan Tata family tree: From Jamsetji Tata to Maya Tata, know all the members here

Ratan Tata Family tree: Here’s a look at the family lineage of the Tatas.

Ratan Tata complete family Tree: Ratan Naval Tata, chairman emeritus of Tata Sons, passed away at Breach Candy Hospital in Mumbai Wednesday night. He was admitted following age-related health issues and was undergoing treatment at the hospital. Tata, a beacon of India Inc, steered his group amid India’s economic liberalisation and, subsequently, guided its global expansion.

Conferred with the Padma Vibhushan, Tata was considered one of the greatest philanthropists in the country who touched lives of millions through his work in the field of healthcare, education, drinking water and many other areas.

Here’s a look at the family tree of the Tatas

Jamsetji Tata, the founder of the Tata Group was born to Nusserwanji Ratan Tata and Jeevanbai Kavasji Tata, in 1939. apart from Jamsetji, Nusserwanji had four other children — Ratanbai, Maneckbai, Virbaiji, Jerbai.

Born into a family of Parsi priests, Jamsetji broke the tradition as he started his own trading firm in 1868 at a young age of 29. He started with a textile mill in central India in the 1870s. His vision later set the foundation for technical education in India and helped the nation to be counted among the industrialised nations.

Jamsetji married Hirabai Daboo and had three children — Sir Dorabji Tata, Dhunbai Tata and Sir Ratan Tata. 

Dorabji, the elder son of Jamsetji, was instrumental in translating his father’s vision into reality. It was under his leadership that the Sir Dorabji Tata Trust was created, propelling the Tata tradition of philanthropy. Jamsetji’s younger son, Ratan, was a philanthropist who created a trust to fund educational development, alleviate human sufferings and other public utility works.

Sir Ratan Tata married Navjbai Sett and adopted Naval H Tata. Naval married Sonoo Commisariat and had two sons — Ratan N Tata and Jimmy N Tata. But Naval and Soonoo divorced when Ratan N Tata was only 10 years old. Naval later married Simone Dunoyer and with her, had a son, Noel Tata. Noel is Ratan and Jimmy’s half brother.

While Ratan and Jimmy never married, Noel tied knot with Aloo Mistry, sister of late Cyrus Mistry, who served as Chairman of Tata Group. Noel and Aloo have three children — Leah Tata, Maya Tata and Neville Tata.

Neville is married to Manasi Kirloskar and together they have two children – Jamset Tata and Tiana Tata.

Again, Jeevanbai Kavasji Tata’s brother Dadabhai Kavasji Tata (adopted son of Kavasji Maneckji Tata) had a son with his wife Bhikhibai. Dadabhai’s son Ratanji Dadabhai Tata married a French woman Suzanne Briere. They had five children — Syla Petit, Jehangir Ratanji Dababhai Tata, Rodabeh Tata, Darab Tata and Jimmy Tata. 

Jehangir or JRD Tata, who went on to become Tata Chairman, pioneered civil aviation on the subcontinent in 1932 by launching the airline which is now known as Air India.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

NATIONAL: GI TAGS: Bodo Tribe’s Eight Products, Including ‘Aronai’, Secure GI Tags In Assam

In a major step towards preserving and promoting the rich cultural heritage of Assam, eight products of the Bodo tribe, including the iconic ‘Aronai’, have secured Geographical Indication (GI) tags. This development not only acknowledges the unique craftsmanship of the Bodo community but also provides a boost to the local economy by safeguarding these products’ authenticity on a global platform.

The Bodo tribe, one of the largest indigenous groups in Northeast India, has a rich tradition of weaving and handicrafts. The GI tag will protect the intellectual property rights of these products, preventing unauthorized use and imitation, while also promoting the Bodo culture and heritage globally.

What is a Geographical Indication (GI) Tag?

A Geographical Indication (GI) tag is a certification provided to products that have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation that are due to that origin. This certification ensures that only products produced in a specific region can be marketed using that name, thereby protecting the authenticity and traditional knowledge associated with the product.

For the Bodo tribe, receiving GI tags for these eight products is a recognition of their centuries-old craftsmanship, which has been passed down through generations. This certification not only adds economic value but also helps preserve the traditional techniques and cultural practices unique to the Bodo community.

The Eight Bodo Products That Secured GI Tags

The eight products from the Bodo community that have been awarded GI tags include:

  1. Aronai: The most iconic product of the Bodo tribe, Aronai is a traditional scarf or shawl that is an integral part of Bodo culture. It is worn during important ceremonies, festivals, and even as a daily accessory. Made from high-quality silk or cotton, the intricate weaving patterns and vibrant colors of Aronai symbolize the identity and pride of the Bodo people.
  2. Dokhona: A traditional attire worn by Bodo women, Dokhona is a long wrap-around dress made from woven silk or cotton. It is often adorned with colorful patterns and is considered an essential part of Bodo cultural festivals and ceremonies.
  3. Gamsa: A handwoven fabric used as a towel or wrap, Gamsa is a versatile product that reflects the Bodo tribe’s skilled weaving techniques. Known for its durability and fine craftsmanship, it is often used in everyday life and during cultural rituals.
  4. Bodo Mekhela: Mekhela, another traditional attire for women, consists of two pieces of cloth draped around the body. The Bodo version of Mekhela is known for its unique designs, rich fabric, and vibrant colors, making it a staple in Bodo women’s wardrobes during cultural celebrations.
  5. Jwmgra (Traditional Shawl): This traditional shawl is another product of Bodo weaving craftsmanship, often made from cotton or silk and used during formal and cultural events.
  6. Silk Shawls: Bodo silk shawls are renowned for their softness and intricate patterns. These shawls are often made from Assam silk, a high-quality material, and are worn on special occasions.
  7. Endi Shawls: Endi, or eri silk, is produced in Assam and is known for its eco-friendly production process. Bodo artisans weave this silk into beautiful shawls that are highly sought after for their warmth and comfort.
  8. Bodo Handloom Textiles: This includes a variety of fabrics woven by the Bodo community, showcasing their rich tradition of handloom weaving. These textiles are used to create traditional attire, accessories, and home décor items.

Cultural and Economic Impact of GI Tags

The GI tagging of these eight products is a momentous achievement for the Bodo community and the state of Assam. It not only provides legal protection to the products but also elevates the status of traditional Bodo crafts on the global stage. With this recognition, these products can now be marketed more effectively, both in India and internationally, which will boost tourism and economic opportunities for local artisans.

The Bodo tribe has long been recognized for their skilled weaving techniques, which are deeply embedded in their cultural identity. The GI tag helps in preserving these traditional crafts, encouraging younger generations to continue the legacy of their ancestors.

Boost to Assam’s Handloom and Handicraft Industry

The handloom and handicraft industry in Assam is a significant contributor to the state’s economy, employing thousands of artisans, particularly women. With the GI tagging of these products, the Bodo tribe’s artisans can now sell their crafts at premium prices, increasing their income and improving their livelihood. This recognition also opens doors for export opportunities, enabling these products to reach a broader audience worldwide.

The GI tags will also promote sustainable tourism in the region, as visitors are likely to be drawn to the rich cultural heritage and unique crafts of the Bodo tribe. Tourists who visit Assam for its natural beauty and wildlife will now have an added reason to explore the traditional Bodo textiles and handicrafts, further boosting the local economy.

While the GI tags are a significant achievement, there are challenges in ensuring that the benefits reach the artisans at the grassroots level. Efforts must be made to establish strong supply chains, promote these products in international markets, and provide artisans with the necessary training to maintain quality standards.

The government, along with local organizations, must work together to create marketing platforms and digital avenues for promoting these products globally. E-commerce platforms and artisanal fairs can be valuable tools in reaching a broader audience and ensuring that the GI-tagged products achieve their full potential.

The GI tagging of eight traditional products from the Bodo tribe of Assam, including the beloved Aronai, is a proud moment for the community and the entire state. It is a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the Bodo people and their contribution to India’s vibrant handloom and handicraft traditions. As these products gain international recognition, they will not only boost the local economy but also serve as symbols of pride and identity for the Bodo community.

source/content: boroktimes.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: BEAUTY PAGEANT : Meet Dhruvi Patel, Miss India Worldwide 2024, a Gujarati NRI, techie, founder of…

This techie from Gujarat has been crowned as the Miss India Worldwide 2024.

Dhruvi Patel has been crowned as Miss India Worldwide 2024, the longest running Indian pageant outside of India. An NRI techie, Dhruvi has carved out her niche in the pageantry world and this is not the first time when she won a pageant. She has a hall of fame that speaks of the many titles she won and events she participated in. This techie turned pageant winner, started young and has bigger aspirations to complete.

“Winning Miss India Worldwide is such an incredible honour. It’s more than a crown – it represents my heritage, my values, and the opportunity to inspire others on a global scale,” Dhruvi said after her crowning in Edison, New Jersey.

Who is Dhruvi Patel, NRI techie with big dreams

Dhruvi has always been fascinated with world of fashion. Since the age of 8, Dhruvi was inclined towards the glitz and glamour for the pageantry realm. In an interview she mentioned, “Unfortunately, school commitments took precedence, and I couldn’t pursue my interest back then. Now, with a renewed passion, I am eager to balance academics and aspirations as I embark on my journey into the world of pageantry.”

In 2023, she was crowned Miss India New England. She has also won Miss Rhode Island and was a contestant in the Miss World America Pageant.

Patel’s roots speak of rich and vibrant culture of Gujarat. Currently, she resides in Hamden, Connecticut, with her parents and siblings. In a bid to pursue her passion in the field of IT, she joined Dhruvi joined Quinnipiac University in 2021 as Computer Information System student.

Well, Dhruvi is not just another engineer who won a title. The Indian origin techie aspires to one day become UNICEF brand ambassador and also make her debut in Bollywood! She runs a home-based nonprofit called 3D Charities. She runs the organisation along with her siblings Darsh and Dhriti.

Apart from preparing for pageants, working up as Computer Science professional, Patel also enjoys the realm of sports as per report.

About Miss India Worldwide 2024

Lisa Abdoelhak from Suriname was declared the first runner-up, while Malvika Sharma from the Netherlands was adjudged the second runner-up in the same race, as reported by PTI. In the Mrs category, SuAnn Mouttet from Trinidad and Tobago was the winner, with Sneha Nambiar the first and Pawandip Kaur from the United Kingdom the second-runner up.

In the Teen category, Sierra Suret from Guadeloupe was crowned Miss Teen India Worldwide. Shreya Singh from the Netherlands and Shradha Tedjoe from Suriname were declared the first and second runners-up. The beauty pageant is organised by New York-based India Festival Committee and is headed by Indian-Americans Neelam and Dharmatma Saran.

The crown is celebrating its 31st anniversary this year.

source/content: india.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: ARTS : INDIA’s HUMAN- WILD LIFE CO-EXISTENCE- Installation in New York, USA : A herd from Nilgiris takes over New York, throws spotlight on a jumbo problem

The statues have been conceptualised by Gudalur-based The Real Elephant Collective (TREC) and sculpted from boiled Lantana by 200 tribal artisans from the Nilgiris, who make up the Coexistence Collective.

At the elegant Meatpacking district of New York, where shopfronts have names such as Rolex, Gucci and Hermes, a different kind of display is attracting the crowds — a herd of 100 wild elephants that has made its way from Gudalur in Tamil Nadu’s Nilgiri hills to the US.

In the parade are kind-eyed matriarchs, playful calves, bulls with outstretched trunks and grand tuskers. These elephants are made of Lantana, one of the 10 worst invasive plant species in the world, that’s making food scarce for these giants in the forests and driving them out.

The statues of the pachyderms make up The Great Elephant Migration, a public art installation that has been to Kochi, London and Bengaluru before trumpeting into New York, where it is one of the biggest such works on display. The installation, which highlights the importance of human-wildlife coexistence and the need to protect Asian elephants, is the brainchild of a UK-based conservation group, Elephant Family USA.

The statues have been conceptualised by Gudalur-based The Real Elephant Collective (TREC) and sculpted from boiled Lantana by 200 tribal artisans from the Nilgiris, who make up the Coexistence Collective. “The scene in New York is hard to describe. It is amazing to see hundreds and hundreds of people, all so moved by the elephants. People who live nearby keep coming back and volunteering to look after the elephants,” says Tarsh Thekaekara, a researcher and conservationist who works on human-animal inclusive models of nature conservation.

Tarsh, who co-founded TREC with Subhash, Subhra Nayar and Tariq Thekaekara, says,“The logistics of travelling with the elephants is not difficult. The challenging part is to push the message of coexistence. Traditional conservation assumes that we need to protect only the pockets of forests and ignore the rest. That is not working. Animals are coming out of forests everywhere in the world.”

And who would know about human-animal conflict better than the tribals? Gudalur lies in the middle of the Western Ghats, located between Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and close to four forest reserves, Mudumalai, Wayanad, Bandipur and Mukurthi. Locals here have grown up seeing elephants and leopards around their houses, but fatal elephant attacks have risen over the past few years.K

Ramesh Madan, who is in his 30s and belongs to the Betta Kurumba tribe, says, “When I was a child, an elephant or two would come (to our houses) in the jackfruit season. I have never known so many elephants to come near our houses, as has been happening in the last few years. When we go into the forest to collect things, I can see that Lantana has taken over large parts. It is the reason why elephants are coming out of the forest.”

A weed that sports clusters of small, colourful flowers, Lantana camara was brought to India by the British as an ornamental plant in the 1800s. According to a study in the Journal of Applied Ecology in October 2023, Lantana has penetrated over 5,74,186 sq km of India, including 50 per cent of the country’s natural areas.

In a takeover by Lantana, which is fast-growing and toxic, a forest gets completely matted, not allowing for growth of any other plant species. Deprived of their food sources, animals are pushed out of forests into urban areas. Moreover, as Lantana goes up trees, forest fires become more widespread. TERC co-founder Subhash says, “If trees burn, they don’t come back as quickly as grasses.”

Tarsh, Subhash, Subhra and Tariq, who were schoolmates, came back to Gudalur to contribute to their home. Between 2013 and 2015, TREC started a mapping exercise at the four forest reserves in collaboration with the Shola Trust in Gudalur. “Initially, the forest department was in denial and we had to physically ascertain how bad the Lantana problem was. We found that 30-40 per cent of the forest was taken over by Lantana. If 30 per cent of land area is not viable for animals, it could be the reason elephants were coming out of forests,” says Subhash.

It was Tarsh and Subhra who first came across Ruth Ganesh, a trustee of the Elephant Family. The organisation creates outdoor figures of elephants to draw attention and finances for the protection of Asian elephants. TREC, which was looking for fresh ideas, wondered if it could make life-size elephant statues out of Lantana. “What was beautiful in that whole exercise was that the indigenous communities did not need to be taught to make the elephant figures,” says Subhash.

In the workshop above his office in Gudalur, artisans from the Soliga, Betta Kurumba, Kattunayakan and Paniya tribes are immersed in creating elephant statues. Each model is a likeness of a real wild elephant that the tribals coexist with. Subhra, who has a background in puppetry, is the resident designer. Using photographs, she constructs metal structures of elephants over which the artisans place strips of Lantana, which are cut out from the forest by a group. “Lantana are boiled and used for the sculptures,” says Tarsh.

The pieces are sold by TREC to partners, who auction them in the US and the UK, among others. The profits go into supporting human-wildlife coexistence projects across the world, including India. In India, the funds are disseminated through the Coexistence Consortium, which comprises ecologists, anthropologists, geographers and conservationists, among others, who promote the concept of coexistence.

M Ranjini, also from the Betta Kurumba tribe, manages the production of the Lantana elephants. “We feel hopeful that the New York exhibition is spreading our message,” she says.

India’s policy on invasive species is, according to Delhi-based naturalist and author Pradip Krishen, “patchy at best and close to nil at worst”. “We are one of the last countries in the world to have an official Invasive Alien Species (IAS) list. In Delhi, where I live, the forest department stands by while a highly invasive tree like subabool (Leucaena leucocephala) fills up the Ridge and unoccupied verges in the city. The invasive vilayati kikar accounts for more than 90 per cent of the trees inside the huge Central Ridge in the heart of the city. Delhi’s Tree Act is completely silent about invasive plants. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would say that awareness might be 4 or 5, but effective action and policy remain abysmally low at 1 or 0.5,” he adds.

Krishen says that Lantana — like Chromolaena — has proliferated under the noses of forest authorities. “I have heard foresters say that Lantana is being unnecessarily demonised and that it provides habitat for small animals like hares and pigs, as well as food for bears, butterflies, and so on. This needs to be weighed against the harm Lantana does to natural habitats, such as pushing out native plant species, reducing forage for wild ungulates (animals with hoofs), having many deleterious effects especially on the herbaceous layer and greatly reducing biodiversity. The areas most affected are dry deciduous forests, which includes all of northern India upto the sub-Himalayan zone, all of Central India, parts of the arid zone in the west excluding the Thar desert and along the Eastern Ghats,” he says.

Subhash adds that, for generations, tribal communities managed forests. “After the Wildlife Protection Act 1972, they were stopped from accessing forests. Controlled forest floor fires are one of the ways indigenous communities manage forests. That helped because grasses grew well and so herbivores did well. With Lantana taking over the forest, the viability of forests was reduced. We would like indigenous communities to access forests so that they can actively participate in its management. This became another driver for us to get involved,” he says.

Tarsh adds, “If we carry on with the traditional model, we are creating pockets of forests that are being taken over by the Lantana. We are destroying the rest of the world and creating unhealthy environments for ourselves to live in. That is what we have to change. It is the vision that we are pushing overall with the Lantana elephants and it is not easy for people to grasp. They see the elephant, are amazed by it and take home the word ‘coexistence’. But, slowly, coexistence is a bigger message that we will be driving.”

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: CHINESE VISITOR to INDIA IN 629 CE : Xuanzang – The early visitor to Nalanda, all the way from China. Excerpts of William Dalrymple’s latest Book – ‘The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World’

Xuanzang’s epic journey to one of India’s largest early centres of learning. An excerpt from William Dalrymple’s latest book ‘The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed the World’.

Late in the autumn of 629 CE, a tall, well-built man, twenty-nine years old, set off on foot from the walled capital city of Chang’an. He was heading westwards, towards the wastes of the Taklamakan desert and beyond that, so he hoped, over the peaks of the Pamirs.

In many ways the walker could not have chosen a worse time to set off on such an ambitious journey. The country was still in the middle of a civil war, and robbers and brigands haunted the unpoliced roads. To make matters worse, there was also a ban on citizens leaving the country, part of an attempt by the new Tang authorities to stop people joining the insurgent groups lurking in the western border country. But the walker was no rebel. Instead he was an urbane and learned monk, ordained into one of the most philosophical of the Mahayana Buddhist orders.

Xuanzang wanted to travel to the source of the religious tradition to which he had given his life. Specifically, he wanted to enrol at the great Indian Buddhist monastery and university of Nalanda. There he wished to study the manuscripts held in the largest Buddhist library in the world. Nalanda, however, lay 3,000 perilous miles south-west of Chang’an, and getting there would be no easy task, particularly as the Tang authorities had just turned down his application for a travel permit.

Not only was it a time of violent upheaval, it was also the year of a great famine, and there was every likelihood that if the authorities or the brigands did not stop Xuanzang, starvation would. But the monk was well used to taking risks. Although he had been born into a family of elite Confucian scholars and public officials — his great-grandfather had been Governor of Shandong and his grandfather was the head of the Imperial College at Beijing, in reward for which the Emperor had endowed the family with the revenues of an entire town — it was nevertheless Xuanzang’s fate to live in the violent and fractured period between two great dynasties. One, the Sui, was falling and the other, the Tang, had yet fully to establish itself.

Xuanzang’s father, a “brilliant and elegant man, with bright eyes, who used to dress himself in the manner of a Confucian scholar”, reacted to the disintegration of his world by immersing himself in the classics. “Anticipating the fall of the Sui, he
buried himself in his study with his books. Many offers of distinguished
positions were pressed on him, which he persistently refused.”

After his death, two of his sons became Buddhist monks, hoping to find within themselves a peace that was notably absent in the world around them. But there was no escape from the endemic violence. In 618, aged thirteen, Xuanzang and his elder brother had had to flee for their lives through the fields along the Yellow River after their monastery in Luoyang was threatened. At this time, according to Xuanzang’s friend and biographer Huili, “the House of Sui lost power, and the country fell into a great turmoil”.

The imperial capital became a nest for brigands like Zhe the Bandit, and the region between the Yellow River and the Luo river turned into a cavern for men as brutal as jackals and wolves. Civilisation collapsed, and the Buddhist community dispersed. White skeletons were scattered at crossroads and the region was depopulated;
no smoke drifted from cooking fires.

Xuanzang was deeply troubled. It was not just that society was disintegrating in front of his eyes; he was worried that the Buddhist tradition he lived and studied was deeply corrupted too. He could see that the texts he used were full of errors and discrepancies. “When he compared editions of the holy scriptures,” wrote Huili, “they showed differences either vaguely or manifestly, so that he was at a loss to decide which of the theories he should follow.” Despite risking his life travelling through the burning countryside from monastery to monastery in search of Buddhist masters who could resolve these inconsistencies, he found none who could adequately answer his questions. Xuanzang felt a growing need “to make further specialised studies and to resolve the contradictions… Thus he resolved to travel to the West, to India, to clear his doubts.”

He had heard that the university monastery of Nalanda contained the fullest and most complete collections of the texts of the tradition known as Yogacara, a spiritual path first outlined by the Gandharan monk Asanga, at the dictation of the Bodhisattva Maitreya, or so the monks maintained.

Asanga maintained that our experience of the world is nothing but an illusion, a misleading creation of our own consciousness. Xuanzang believed the writings of Asanga’s Yogacara school to be the peak of all Buddhist thought, and the one which had preserved the most profound and authentic secrets of his own Mahayana tradition. In particular Xuanzang wished to seek out one specific manuscript — the Yogacarabhumi, “Treatise on the Stages of Yogic Practice”. This was a text for which Xuanzang had been searching all his adult life.

Xuanzang had also heard that at Nalanda the supreme master of Yogacara, a 106-year-old scholar called the Venerable Shilabhadra, was still teaching and, despite his age, taking on new pupils. Ignoring the many dangers, Xuanzang resolved to set off westwards, knowing that centuries earlier other Chinese monks such as Faxian had successfully made the same journey and returned alive, even leaving brief accounts of their journeys. “As the road was obstructed and long,” wrote Xuanzang, “the transmission [of Buddhism to China] was still incomplete… Secretly praying for spiritual protection, I determined to go out from the land of my birth and throw myself into the realm of ten thousand deaths. When passing in the footsteps of the Buddha, I paid my respects to the numinous [presence] he left behind. If there were people who propagated the dharma, I sought out their authentic teaching. When I passed through a place, I was moved to see what I had never seen before. When I encountered a word, I rejoiced at hearing what I had never heard before. In this way, I exhausted my life’s resources to copy texts that were missing at home.”

Xuanzang’s sixteen years of travels, and the different accounts that he, his biographer Huili and his various followers and correspondents have left of his journey, bring to light an entire world that is otherwise lost in shadow and archaeological ambiguity. It is not just that we find ourselves able to draw on a sudden glut of well-verified letters to and from Xuanzang and his learned correspondents; we also have Xuanzang’s own travel book, The Great Tang Dynasty Record of the Western Regions, the most comprehensive account of seventh-century Central Asia and India ever produced, and written with all the care of a sceptical scholar who was unusually scrupulous in matters of fact. “Although it was difficult to exhaustively verify all matters,” he wrote in a postscript, “I never resorted to speculation.” Most remarkable of all, at over 80,000 characters, Huili’s biography, written during his master’s old age and completed after his death, is the fullest single biography to survive from pre-modern China.

These different sources illuminated the intellectual and spiritual bedrock of the Indian ideas that were finding their way over the mountains and deserts and coming to change the way people in China lived and thought. It is one of the richest moments of cultural and philosophical interaction in world history. In the course of China’s first really intimate encounter with an equal civilisation, not only did Buddhism profoundly transform China, bringing about a massive metamorphosis of its arts, history, society and culture at both popular and court levels; at the same time, and no less profoundly, Buddhism was changed and moulded by China.

No one really knows when Buddhism first reached China. Xuanzang himself believed that it had arrived as a result of “a dream of the Emperor of the Han dynasty”. According to this legend, the Chinese Emperor Ming (r.58-75CE) had a vision of a golden being who had a nimbus behind his head that shone like the sun. The Emperor asked his advisers about this strange apparition and was told that in the west there was a deity named the Buddha. “As a result,” wrote Xuanzang, “envoys were sent to the West, and consequently the Right Dharma was transmitted.”

Excerpted with permission from ‘The Golden Road: How Ancient India Transformed The World’ by William Dalrymple, published by Bloomsbury

source/content: telegraphindia.com (headline edited)